Joint Commission issues first data-driven estimate of inpatient suicides

An estimated 49 to 65 hospital inpatient suicides occur each year in the United States, far fewer than the widely cited estimate of 1,500, according to a new study reported in The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety. Based on data from 27 states reporting to the National Violent Death Reporting System and hospitals reporting to The Joint Commission’s Sentinel Event Database, the study estimates the annual inpatient suicide rate at 3.2 per 100,000 psychiatric admissions and 0.03 per 100,000 non-psychiatric admissions. The findings also highlight the most common inpatient suicide methods and locations. The commission said the findings support recommendations by its expert panel last year that hospital settings associated with psychiatric treatment be made ligature-resistant environments.